Systems and methods for providing an integrated public and/or private transportation service

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a transportation services platform that allows transit service provider and third party transportation providers to access the platform and provide rules that apply to a state-based view of a route provided to a user application executed by the user device. The application executed by the users device uses the rules to perform actions as a route is presented to a user via a user interface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/772,520 filed Apr. 30, 2018 which claims priority to InternationalApplication No. PCT/MY2015/000088 filed Oct. 30, 2015, the contents ofwhich are relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to provision of an Internet service for planningtrips using public and private transportation services. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a platform that allows publictransportation providers and third party developers to access theplatform to provide a service that integrates public and privatetransportation services for a user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In today's society, there are plenty of software applications, commonlycalled Apps, provided for smart phones or other mobile devices for usein the planning and managing of trips between various destinations.These applications include navigation applications, public transitupdating application, ride sharing applications, and parking spotapplications.

However, it is a problem that a user must often switch betweenapplications for various portions of a trip. For example, a user may usea navigation application to get directions between an embarkation anddestination locations and may have to switch to a parking spot locatorapplication to find a parking spot in a car park once they have arrivedat the destination in their vehicle. A second example is that a user mayuse a public transit application to find schedules and routes of bussesor trains for a portion of a trip and switch to a taxi or ride sharingapplication to request a taxi or ride share to the ultimate destinationwhen the user reaches a certain point on the route. As such, there is aneed for a system that makes the switching between applications easy andrelatively seamless for a user as the user progress on their trip.

Another problem that is faced is that public transportation providersoften use scheduling software and other systems that only optimize basedupon the information for a particular public transportation provider andoften do not account for the routes and schedules of other publictransportation provider in an area. For example, a bus operator in aparticular system may use scheduling software that only accounts for thebusses and routes that the bus operator provides. This may causeconflicts and gaps in scheduling between the various routes operated bydifferent bus operators in a particular city or area. As such, there isa need for a system that integrates the information for various publictransportation operators in a particular area to optimize the schedulingand routing of various types of public transportation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and other problems are solved and an advance in the art ismade by a transportation services platform performing in accordance withembodiments of this invention. In accordance with some embodiments, thetransportation services platform allows transit operators and thirdparty transport service providers to access data stored by the platform.In accordance with some embodiments, a state-based approach is used fortrips. The transit operators and third party transport service providersmay provide rules that direct an application being executed by a userdevice to perform an action based on an event detected from currentstate information of the trip maintained by the application.Furthermore, the transportation services platform may protect userprivacy concerns by using usernames to associate user profileinformation of a user with data provided the user to platform and/or forallowing the user to interact with a third party transport serviceprovider.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a transportationservices platform interact with an application being executed by a userdevice over a network in the following manner. The platform may receivea request from an application being executed on a user device to providea route for a trip. The platform then retrieves route information forthe trip. The retrieving of route information may include determiningrules provided by third party transportation services that may apply tothe route of the trip. The rules may include an event and an actionwhere an event is an occurrence that may be detected by data obtained bythe application being executed on the user device and an action is afunction that the application may perform. The rules provided by thirdparty transportation services that may apply to the route are added tothe route information. The platform then provides the route informationto the application being executed on the user device.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transportation servicesplatform may receive a rule from a third party transportation servicesystem and store the rule in a rules database. In accordance with manyof these embodiments, a rule provided by a third party transportationservice system includes an event and an action where the action includesinvoking a third party transportation service application on the userdevice. In accordance with a number of these embodiments, a ruleprovided by a third party transportation service system includes anevent and an action, where the action includes obtaining travel data viathe transportation services application being executed by the userdevice and providing the travel data to the third party transportationservice application. In accordance with a few embodiments, a ruleprovided by a third party transportation service system includes anevent and an action, where the action includes providing travelinformation to the transportation services application being executed bythe user device and displaying the travel information to the user viathe transportation services application being executed by the userdevice.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transportation servicesplatform maintains a user database that associates user profileinformation of a user with a username. In accordance with many of theseembodiments, the transportation services platform stores and providescomments by a user using the username associated with the user. Inaccordance with a number of these embodiments, the transportationservices platform performs a request for interactions with a third partytransportation service system requested by a user using the usernameassociated with the user.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transportation servicesplatform receives a request for information from a transit operatorsystem. In response to receiving the request, the platform retrievesdata stored by the transportation services platform to satisfy therequest for information and provides the requested information to thetransit operator system.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transportation servicesplatform receives data pertaining to a transportation service from atransit operator system and stores the data in a memory associated withthe transportation services platform.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transportation servicesplatform maintains information including one or more tags in a userprofile of a user, receives a posting to the transportation servicesplatform, determines tags associated with the posting, and provides theposting to each user having a user profile with a tag associated withthe posting.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transportation servicesplatform receives an update of user information, determines tagsassociated with the update, and add the tags to user profile informationstored by the platform.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transportation servicesplatform predicts possible trips for a user based upon stored userinformation, and updates tags in the user profile information of theuser based on the predicted possible trips.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and aspects in accordance with variousembodiments of the invention are shown in the following drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrating a network communicatively connecting devices inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 illustrating a processing device that performs one or moreprocesses providing a system and/or method in accordance with anembodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 illustrating an operating environment of transportationinformation system in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 illustrating layers of software in a provider platform inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 5 illustrating a display on a user device performing an applicationinteracting with the platform in accordance with an embodiment of thisinvention;

FIG. 6 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by a userdevice to provide trip information in accordance with embodiments ofthis invention;

FIG. 7 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by theplatform to provide route information to a user device in accordancewith an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 8 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by theplatform to receive and store a rule from a 3^(rd) party provider inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 9 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by theplatform to satisfy a request from a transportation operator system inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 10 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by theplatform to receive a user comment in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 11 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by theplatform to invoke a 3^(rd) party application for a user in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by atransport service platform to provide tags for a user profile based onuser information received from an applications being executed on a userdevice in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by atransport service platform to tag a post received from a user inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 illustrating a flow diagram of a process performed by atransport service platform to provide estimates of arrival times at oneor more points along a route based on historical data in accordance withan embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 15 illustrating a driver/operator device executing adriver/operator application in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to the drawings, a transportation service system inaccordance with various embodiments of this invention is disclosed. Inaccordance with some embodiments of this invention, a platform iscreated in which various transportation providers including, but notlimited to, transportation authorities, mass transit operators, andprivate transportation providers are able to connect and provideweb-based services to users. The platform allows transportation providerto develop various cloud-based services that a user may access via theInternet and more particularly via an App being performed by a mobiledevice. The platform allows the provision of integrated transportationservices such that the services and related information are notisolated. This allows for the integration of information from thevarious transportation providers. The platform simplifies thedevelopment of transportation service applications through thedevelopment of abstract handlers in the platform with which otherapplications are able to communicate and be invoked when required.

In accordance with some embodiments, the platform includes a centralback-end system that is able to interface with other applications.Further, the central system provides core functionalities of the travelplatform including, but not limited to, a trip state machine, adata-turntable that application can use to develop further applications,and fundamental services provided by a mobile device application.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the state basedview of a trip divides a trip into a series of segments or states. Inaccordance with many of these embodiments, predictive modelingalgorithms may be provided to detect transitions between states. Thepredictive modeling algorithms may also determine when to provide alertsand/or messages to the uses when traveling conditions change and effecttravel times during a trip in accordance with a number of embodiments.Furthermore, the state based view of a trip allows other applications tointeract with a user based upon a current state of a trip. Anotherapplication may either obtain information about the trip or invoke aninstance of the application based on the state of the trip to allow fora seamless transition between applications providing needed servicesduring a particular leg of a trip. For example, a user may be using anavigation application to get driving directions to a destination andwhen the car gets to the destination, a parking locator application maydetect that the user has arrived at the destination and invoke aninstance of the application to help the user find a parking spot nearthe destination.

In accordance with some embodiments, the platform also provides logicand functionality that allows applications to utilize transit relateddata. For example, the platform may provide processes that determine anestimated time of arrival at a destination and/or an estimated time oftransition to a next leg or state of the trip. These processes may thenbe used by application developers to provide various features inapplications.

In accordance with some embodiments, an application provided by a userdevice allows a user to interact with the transportation platform. Theapplication includes a unified user interface in accordance with many ofthe embodiments. The unified user interface is designed to include auniversal interface that fits with the workflow of the user and to allowother applications to integrate information and/or links into theinterface to allow for additional extensions of the travel experiencethrough the use of other applications provided by third parties. Inaccordance with many embodiments, the user interface includes three maincomponents: an area map display, a state of trip information display,and dynamic information display. The map area provides a map indicatingthe locale of the user and may further indicate the route being takenfor the trip, and/or points of interest in the local or along the routedepending on the particular embodiment. The state information of thetrip display may provide information relevant to the current state (orleg) of the trip. For example, the state information may provideinformation about traffic information, busses scheduled to stop at aparticular stop, and/or busses servicing a particular stop. The dynamicinformation display may alert users to changes in bus schedules, trafficwarnings, and/or points of interests along a particular leg of the trip.

In accordance with some embodiments, the platform allows the creation of“channels” or “app links” that allow an external application tointegrate into to the platform. Each “channel” is a rule that includesan event or state; and an action associated with the event. Inaccordance with a number of embodiments, at least the following types ofactions are supported by the platform: alternative travel options,information display, and message. Alternative travel option actionsprovide alternative travel options for the trip based on the currentstate of the trip. For example, a 3rd party application may offer a linkor icon to open the application when a certain state or location isreached during a trip. Information display actions provide informationabout the 3rd party application. This may include a schedule of providervehicles such as busses or taxicabs that are either in proximity of thecurrent location or are scheduled to stop at or near the currentlocation.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the platformsupports maintaining user profiles; and stores user comments and allowsother users access to the comments. In accordance with many embodiments,user information is protected by associating a username with a user thatis used to identify the user. This allows users to be uniquelyidentifiable while at the same time their personal information is notlinked to their actual identity. Furthermore, in accordance with anumber of embodiments, the user name may be used to sign into 3rd partyapplications to keep the user anonymous.

In accordance with some embodiments of this invention, the platformprovides the ability for different transport entities to interact withthe platform to use transportation data stored by the platform, providetransportation data to the platform, and/or provide applications orfunctionalities to a user accessing the platform via an application.This allows the different transportation entities in providing servicein a certain area to interact with other providers which in turn leadsto a seamless communication with a user accessing the platform via anapplication performed by a user device.

A description of the above and other features and aspects of atransportation platform in accordance with some embodiments of thisinvention are provided below.

Network Overview

A network that includes processing devices that provide a transportationservices platform in accordance with embodiments of this invention isshown FIG. 1. Network 10 includes communications network 16.Communications network 16 is a network such as the Internet that allowsdevices connected to network 16 to communicate with other connecteddevices. A platform server system is connected to network 16 andprovides a transportation services platform. The platform server systemincludes servers 12 and 14 that are communicatively connected to oneanother by an internal network. Servers 12 and 14 perform the processesfor providing a transportation services platform and store dataassociated with the transportation services platform. The platformserver system may also include third party server 22. Those skilled inthe art will recognize that while three servers are shown, any number ofservers may be included in platform provider system. Furthermore, one ormore database servers (not shown) may be communicatively connected toservers 12, 14 and 22 to store data for providing the transportationservices platform.

Users interact with the transportation services platform using personaldevices 18 and 20 that connect to the platform server system overnetwork 16. In the shown embodiment, personal device 18 is shown as adesktop computer that is connected via a conventional “wired” connectionto network 16. However, personal device 18 may be a desktop computer, alaptop computer, a smart television, an entertainment gaming console,automobile infotainment system or any other device that connects tonetwork 16 via a “wired” connection. Mobile device 20 connects tonetwork 16 using a wireless connection. A wireless connection is aconnection that uses Radio Frequency (RF) signals, Infrared signals, orany other form of wireless signaling to connect to network 16. In FIG.1, mobile device 20 is a mobile telephone. However, mobile device 20 maybe a mobile phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet, asmartphone, automobile infotainment system or any other type of devicethat connects to network 16 via wireless connection without departingfrom this invention.

Example of Processing System

An example of a processing system that executes instructions to performprocesses that provide applications, such as the processes that provideand interact with a transportation services platform in the devicesshown in FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of this invention isshown in FIG. 2. One skilled in the art will recognize that a particularprocessing system may include other components that are omitted forbrevity without departing from this invention. The processing device 200includes a processor 205, a non-volatile memory 210, and a volatilememory 215. The processor 205 is a processor, microprocessor,controller, or a combination of processors, microprocessor, and/orcontrollers that performs instructions stored in the volatile 215 ornon-volatile memory 210 to manipulate data stored in the memory. Thenon-volatile memory 210 can store the processor instructions utilized toconfigure the processing system 200 to perform processes includingprocesses in accordance with embodiments of the invention and/or datafor the processes being utilized. In other embodiments, the processingsystem software and/or firmware can be stored in any of a variety ofnon-transient computer readable media appropriate to a specificapplication. A network interface is a device that allows processingsystem 200 to transmit and receive data over network based upon theinstructions performed by processor 205. Although a processing system200 is illustrated in FIG. 2, any of a variety of processing system inthe various devices can configured to provide the methods and systems inaccordance with embodiments of the invention can be utilized.

Transportation Services Platform

A transportation services platform in accordance with embodiments ofthis invention is a system that interacts with applications performed ona user device to provide transportation services to a user. Theoperating environment of a transportation services platform inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 3. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 3, server system 307 providestransportation services platform 305. Transportation services platform305 includes software and/or hardware that provides portal 310, userdemand database 311, public transportation routes and timing database312, core functionality services 313, transportation operator portal314, and third party application configuration portal 315. The userportal 310 includes the interfaces for interacting with applications ona user device. The user demand database 311 stores user data such as,but not limited to, trips taken, routes used, transportation modes used,time of trips taken, and other information relevant to thetransportation uses of a user. The public transportation routes andtiming database 312 store information about the routes and stopschedules of transportation vehicles such as, but not limited to, bussesand trains. In accordance with some embodiments, the publictransportation routes and timing database may include separate databasesfor each city or particular geographic region supported by platform 305.Core functional services 313 are the processes provided platform 305that store, retrieve and manipulate data stored in the various databasesto provide functions provided to the application on a user device,public transportation operator systems, and/or third party systems.Transit operator portal 314 provides interfaces to transit operatorsystems 309 including retail/commercial establishments, transit huboperators, city councils, planning authorities, transit agency/operator,and transport authorities) for platform 305 to receive data from andprovide data to transit operator systems. Third party application portal315 provides interfaces for third party applications to interact withplatform 305.

Platform 305 connects to the Internet 300. Over Internet 300, platform305 may communicate with user devices of private and public transportusers 320; on-board devices including, but not limited to, carinfotainment systems, Global Positioning (GPS) systems, navigationsystems, and other mobile device in the transportation vehicles 325;transit dispatch and control systems 327 to interact with the users andobtain current transit information; and third party reporting servicessystems 330 that provide information on local traffic, weatherconditions, and other aspects that may affect travel times in a locale.

The platform may include various layers of software to provideinformation to users and/or transit operators. A diagram showing thevarious layers of software provided by the platform in accordance withan embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4. In accordance withthe shown embodiment, the platform includes four layers includingapplication layer 405, platform interface layer 415, platformapplication layer 425, and platform data layer 435. Application layer405 includes software that provides functions that may interact with anapplication being executed by a user device. Examples of the functionsthat may be provided by application layer 405 include, but are notlimited to, get message from user function 410, update for state andlocation function 411, get ETA to destination function 412, get ETA tonext state function 413, and update user state function 414. Get messagefrom user function 410 receives an input from a user via the applicationexecuted by the user device. Update for state and location function 411receives updated location and trip information from applications beingexecuted on user and/or transportation vehicle devices. Get ETA todestination function 412 provides an estimated time of arrival at adesired destination to applications being executed on user and/ortransportation vehicle devices. Get ETA to next state function 413provides an estimated time of arrival at a next leg of a trip toapplications being executed on user and/or transportation vehicledevices. Update user state function 414 receives a current state of atrip from an application being executed by a user device. Although theabove example primarily involve interactions with an applicationproviding a user interface on a user device, one skilled in the art willrecognize that application layer 405 may also include applications forinteracting with transit operator systems and third party systems inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention.

Platform interface layer 415 includes functions that interact withfunctions in application layer 405 and platform application layer 425 totransfer information between functions that may be used by anapplication and functions that obtain and process data stored by theplatform in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Examplesof the functions provided by platform interface layer 415 in accordancewith the shown embodiment include, but are not limited to, determinetravel time anomaly function 420, determine ETA to next locationfunction 421, determine trips in the next hour function 422, anddetermine ETA anomaly function 423. Determine travel time anomalyfunction 420 determines whether there are any environmental conditionsthat may affect the travel time to a particular destination. DetermineETA to next location function 421 determine an estimated time of arrivalat next location either a destination or a next leg of a trip. Determinetrips in the next hour function 422 provides a list of possible trips auser may take based on pass trips taken by a user. Determine ETA anomalyfunction 423 is a function that determines whether a previously providedETA is still accurate based upon current environmental conditions alongthe route of the trip. Although the above example primarily involveinteractions with an application providing a user interface on a userdevice, one skilled in the art will recognize that platform interfacelayer 415 may also include applications that obtain data from datastored on the platform for transit operator systems, third partysystems, and users in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention including, but not limited to, a payment application thatallows users to pay for a transportation service via the platform and asocial messaging application that allows users to receive and/or sendmessages pertaining to a particular trip or location.

Platform application layer 425 includes the functions that retrieve andmanipulate data stored by the platform to obtain desired information inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention. Examples of functionsprovided by platform application layer 425 in accordance with the shownembodiment include, but are not limited to ETA prediction model 430,User trip prediction model 431 and travel time prediction model 433. ETAprediction model 430 is an artificial intelligence algorithm that learnsfrom the data stored in the platform and uses the learning to predict anestimated time of arrival at a location. User trip prediction model 431is an artificial intelligence algorithm that learns habits of userregarding trips from user data stored by the platform and returns a listof possible destination for the user based upon environmentalconditions. Travel time prediction model 433 is an artificialintelligence algorithm that estimates the travel time between one ormore locations based upon the mode of transportation used, time of day,environmental conditions, and/or other factors. Although the aboveexample primarily involve interactions with an application providing auser interface on a user device, one skilled in the art will recognizethat platform application layer 425 may also include applications thatobtain and manipulate data stored on the platform to obtain desiredinformation for transit operator systems and third party systems inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention.

Platform data layer 435 includes the processes and functions formaintaining the data needed to provide the various transportationservices in accordance with some embodiments of this invention. Examplesof the databases maintained include, but are not limited to, a databasefor each city or local supported by the city databases 440-441, userinformation databases 442, and third party rules database 443. Each citydatabase 440-441 includes data regarding routes, stop schedules and thelike for public and/or private transportation companies. Userinformation database 442 is a database that stores user informationincluding, but not limited to, profile information, previous trips,transportation mode preferences and the like. Third party rules databasestores rules generated for third parties for interacting withapplication executed by a user device in accordance with someembodiments of the invention.

User Device Application

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, an application forproviding transport services to a user is executed by a user device andcommunicates with a transportation services platform. The applicationprovides a user interface that allows the user to interact with theapplication to receive a desired transport service. In accordance withsome embodiments of the invention, the user interface has a universaldesign to fit with the individual workflow of a user and allows for“lead-ins” to other applications in order to allow for additionalextensions of the travel experience through interacting with otherapplications. Furthermore, the user interface is provided in a mannerthat fits with the “state-based” view of a trip used by the platform inaccordance with embodiments of the invention. A user interface of anapplication in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shownin FIG. 5.

In accordance with FIG. 5, user device 500 is executing the userapplication that communicates with the platform to provide transportservices. The display of device 500 is showing the user interface of theapplication. The user interface includes three areas: map area 505,travel state information area 520, and dynamic information area 525. Maparea 505 is a geographic map or other form of indicia indicating thelocale of the user. Hence, it displays the map of user's currentlocation and planned trip. As those skilled in the art will appreciate,the map area may be interacted with to “zoom-in” and “zoom-out” tochange the resolution of the map or locale being shown to the user.Travel state information area 520 provides information relevant to acurrent state of a trip and changes as the current state of the tripchanges. Dynamic information area 525 provides information of thirdparty application to be provided in response to the rules provided bythe third party application as well as information provided by theplatform that may change as the trip progresses. Hence, dynamicnotification information to inform users regarding their journey andallow a holder of “cards” or containers which allow for display ofinformation from third party developers, as well as other informationgenerated by the platform.

The above interface may be one of multiple user interfaces provided theapplication in accordance with embodiments of the inventions. Inaccordance with some embodiments, another interface may be provided toallow payment for a transportation service using the platform. Inaccordance with many embodiments, a user interface may be provided for asocial messaging system. In accordance with a number of embodiments, abase user interface is provided that allows a user to select a functionsupported by the travel services platform and subsequently provide auser interface for the selected function.

In accordance with some embodiments of this invention, the transportservice platform use a state-based model of a trip in order to allowthird party providers to add information and/or services to be providedto a user based on the state of the trip. The third party provider isallowed to add information and/or service by generating rules thatinclude an event and an action to take in response to the event. A pairof an event and a rule is sometimes described as a card or rule andthese terms may be used interchangeably. The rules provided by thirdparty providers are stored by the platform and the relevant rules areprovided to an application being executed on a user device based on thecurrent state of a trip. A process performed by the application beingexecuted by the user device to provide information for a trip inaccordance with an embodiment of an invention is shown in FIG. 6.

Process 600 begins by the application receiving an input of informationfor a possible trip from the user (605). The information for thepossible trip may include mode(s) of transportation to take, transitoperator(s) to use, destination, time to leave, and other informationthat may be needed to determine one or more possible routes for thetrip. The information for the possible trip is provided to the transportservice platform (610). The application receives possible routes for thepossible trip from the platform (615). A display showing the possibleroutes is provided to the user via the user interface (620). Thisdisplay of possible routes may be done by showing the different routesin alternate colors on the map or via alternate descriptions on theinterface in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

The application receives a selection of a particular route for the tripfrom the user (625) and retrieves route information for the selectedroute from the platform (630). In accordance with some embodiments, theroute information includes the rules from the platform and/or thirdparty providers that may apply to one or more portions or states of thetrip.

The process then monitors information such as GPS position and time todetermine when the user device has entered a new state of the trip(635). For example, a new state may be, but is not limited to, when anew location is reached and/or when the user must turn onto a newstreet, when the user reaches a particular bus stop, and other suchevents. In accordance with some embodiments, the updates to themonitored information may be provided to the transportation servicesplatform for use in updating user information and/or other trip and/orstate information. The application then searches the events in the rulesor cards to determine which cards are related to the new state anddetermine the actions that are to occur (640). The determination mayinclude which third party provider has made the rule and determiningwhether the user is subscribed to the service of the third party. Therelevant actions are then provided to the user (645). In accordance withsome embodiments, the actions may include, but are not limited to,providing an icon or other form of link to the application of the thirdparty installed on the user device, providing scheduling information(such as bus and train schedules) at a particular stop, or providingsome other type of information that may be relevant to the trip the useris taking and/or the current state of the trip. In some instances, theuser device may receive inputs requested by a particular action inresponse to the action provided to the user (650) in accordance someembodiments. The device updates device according to the action and anyinputs that are received (655). If the trip is not completed (660), theprocess of detecting new states and actions are repeated until the triphas reached a final state and process 600 ends.

Process 600 is one possible embodiment of a process performed byapplication being executed by a user device to provide informationand/or services for a trip. However, other processes that add, combine,and/or omit certain steps of the above described process may be providedwithout departing from embodiments of this invention.

Platform Processes

The platform provides information to the application to providetransportation services to a user for a trip. A process for providingthe information from the platform to an application being executed by auser device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shownin FIG. 7. In process 700, the platform receives a selected route fromthe device (705). In response to receiving the route, the platformdetermines the states possible along the route (710) and retrieves therecords of rules associated with each determined state of the route(715) and adds the rules to the route information (720) and transmitsthe route information to the requesting application on a user device(725).

Process 700 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by aplatform to provide information and/or services to an application beingexecuted on for a trip. However, other processes that add, combine,and/or omit certain steps of the above described process may be providedwithout departing from embodiments of this invention.

In accordance with some embodiments of a transport service platform, thetransport service platform may receive rules or cards from third partyprovider systems that cause an application being executed by a userdevice to perform an action in response to an event. In this manner,third party providers may interact with the platform to providetransport services and/or provide or receive information from the userand/or application being executed on the user device. A process forreceiving rules or cards from a third party provider system inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention is shown in FIG. 8.

In process 800, the service transport platform receives an event fromthe third party provider system (805). An event may be a particularstate of a trip, a particular location, a particular time of day, or anyother particular piece of information of a type of information that maybe monitored by an application being executed on a user device. Theservice transport platform also receives an action associated with theevent from the third party provider system (810). The action may be anytype of action that the application being executed on the user devicemay perform. Examples in accordance with some embodiments of theinvention include, but are not limited, providing data from theapplication to the third party provider, providing data from the thirdparty provider to the application, providing an icon for invoking athird party application on the user device, and providing a link to aweb site of the third party provider.

The transport service platform generates a rule record or card thatincludes the event and the associated action (815) and stores the rulerecord in a rule record database on the platform (820). In accordancewith a number of the embodiments, the rule record database may includeone or more databases that store rules for individual cities or otherlocales that are supported by the platform.

Process 800 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by aplatform to receive rules or cards from a third party provider. However,other processes that add, combine, and/or omit certain steps of theabove described process may be provided without departing fromembodiments of this invention.

In accordance with some embodiments, the transport service provider mayallow transit operator system to connect to the platform to provide andreceive data. In accordance with many of these embodiments, thetransport service platform provides applications that retrieve and/ormanipulate the data stored by the platform to obtain the informationdesired by the transport service provider system. A process performed bythe transport service platform to obtain the desired information for atransit operator system in accordance with an invention is shown in FIG.9.

In process 900, the transport service platform receives a request frominformation from a transit operator system (905). The platformdetermines the proper application to satisfy the request (910). Thedetermined application is then invoked (915). The application thenretrieves the proper data and performs any required algorithms on thedata to determine the information to satisfy the request. The results ofthe application are then provided to the transit operator system (920).

Process 900 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by aplatform to provide information to transit operator system. However,other processes that add, combine, and/or omit certain steps of theabove described process may be provided without departing fromembodiments of this invention.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the serviceprovider platform ensures the privacy of users by providing users namesthat are associated with the profile information of the user. Theusername is then used to identify the user in the platform to allow theuser to remain anonymous in accordance with embodiments of thisinvention. A process for storing a comment from a user and making thecomment public on the platform in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention is shown in FIG. 10.

Process 1000 includes maintaining a database of users that associates auser with a user name (1005). At some point, the platform receives apost of the user on a trip, location, and/or transportation service(1010). In accordance with some embodiments, a tagging process may beperformed on the post to provide the post to other users (1015). Atagging process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention isdescribed below with reference to FIG. 13. The platform then stores thecomment in a database with the user name of the user providing thecomment for later review by other users and/or transit operators (1020).

Process 1000 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by aplatform to maintain comments by user. However, other processes thatadd, combine, and/or omit certain steps of the above described processmay be provided without departing from embodiments of this invention.

In accordance with many of these embodiments, the username may be usedto invoke third party application and/or communicate with a third partyin some other manner. A process for communicating with a third partyprovider in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown inFIG. 11. In process 1100, the platform maintains a database of userswhere each record includes a user and an associated user name (1105).The platform may then receive a request for a third party service from auser using the application being executed on the user device of the user(1110). The platform then invokes the proper application forcommunicating with the third party system using the username of the userstored in the user database (1115).

Process 1100 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by aplatform to provide a third party service to a user. However, otherprocesses that add, combine, and/or omit certain steps of the abovedescribed process may be provided without departing from embodiments ofthis invention.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the transportationservices platform may provide a social messaging application that allowsusers within a certain proximity or travelling along a common route tomessage one another and/or receive postings to the transportationservices platform that are relevant to the location and/or route withoutany user input indicating the user's mode of transportation, route,and/or current location. Furthermore, transportation providers may usesend messages relating to routes and/or locations that may be providedto users that may be travelling or may be planning to travelling alongthe route as well as users in a certain locale. To do so, atransportation services platform may use a tagging process for users andpostings to denote users in a particular area or traveling along aparticular route to form groups of users for a messaging applicationand/or pass along relevant postings to users in accordance with manyembodiments. Processes for performing a tagging process of users andposting in accordance with some embodiments of the invention are shownin FIGS. 12 and 13. The tags may then be used by the social networkingplatform to form groups of users for a messaging application and/or toprovide postings to applications on a user device in accordance with anumber of embodiments of the invention. Postings received by the userdevice may then be displayed in the dynamic information area of the userinterface and/or provided via another posting interface in accordancewith various embodiments of the invention.

A process performed by the transportation services platform for updatingtags in a user profile in accordance with an embodiment of the inventionis shown in FIG. 12. Process 1200 includes receiving an update of userinformation from an application being executed by a user device (1205).In accordance with a number of embodiments, the update of userinformation may be an update of monitored information transmitted by thedevice when a user enters a new state of a trip as discussed above withrespect to process 600 shown in FIG. 6.

Returning to process 1200 shown in FIG. 12, process 1200 updates theappropriate tags in a user profile of the user based upon the receivedupdated information (1210). The updating of appropriate tags may includeremoving tags from locations and/or states of the trip completed, addingtags related to a current location and/or current state of the trip.

The process 1200 determines whether the updated information indicatesthe start of a trip (1215). If so, the start of the trip is logged in adatabase for use in future prediction processes and for other later uses(1217). The process also determines whether the updated informationindicates the end of a trip (1220). If so, the process 1200 logs the endof the trip in a database for use in future predictions and other uses(1221).

Process 1200 also performs a path prediction analysis to determineprobable next states of the trip and/or probable destinations of theuser (1225). Based on the predicted paths, the appropriate tags areadded to the user profile (1230). The appropriate tags may includepotential locations, potential modes of transportation, potential pathsthat may be taken, and/or other topics that may be of interest alongpotential paths for a trip in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention.

The process 1200 also provides any current messages that are associatedwith a tag added to the user profile with the user device (1235) andlogs the updated user information and/or any predicted paths in adatabase for future use (1240).

Process 1200 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by atransport service platform to update user tags. However, other processesthat add, combine, and/or omit certain steps of the above describedprocess may be provided without departing from embodiments of thisinvention.

To provide user post to the transportation service system to users thatmight find the information in the post relevant, the transport serviceplatform tags posts upon receipt and provides the posts to user deviceof user's that have the same tag in their user profile. A processperformed by the transport service platform to tag posts in accordancewith embodiments of this invention is shown in FIG. 13. In accordancewith some embodiments of the invention, the process is performed inresponse to receiving a post, such as when a new posting is received inprocess 1000 described above with reference to FIG. 10.

Process 1300 receives a new post (1305). The process determines whethera location is associated with the post (1315). The determination ofwhether a location is associated with the post may be determined in anynumber of ways in various embodiments including, but not limited to,using user information of the user that provided the post to determine acurrent location, using meta data in the message that may indicate thelocation, the use of user embedded tags (such as hashtags), GPSinformation from the sending device, parsing the text of the posting toobtain a name of a location and/or any combination of the previouslymentioned methods. If the post is related to a particular location, atag is added to the post indicating the particular location (1317).

The process 1300 may also determine whether the post relates to a route(1320). The determination of whether a route is associated with the postmay be determined in any number of ways in various embodimentsincluding, but not limited to, using user information of the user thatprovided the post to determine whether the user is currently using aparticular route, the use of user embedded tags (such as hashtags), GPSinformation from the sending device, parsing the text of the posting toobtain a name of a location and/or any combination of the previouslymentioned methods. Depending on the various embodiments of theinvention. If the post is related to a particular route, a tag is addedto the post indicating the particular route (1321).

The process 1300 may also add tags that are related to user thatprovided the posting (1325). These tags may include tags pertaining togroups or subjects of interest to user, user assigned tags, and anyother tags that may relate the tag to a location or route. The tags forthe post may then be stored with the post or in a manner that associatesthe tags with the post for future use in accordance with someembodiments of the invention. The process 1300 then uses the tags toprovide the post to users also having at least one of the tags of theadded to the post (1330).

Process 1300 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by atransport service platform to provide tags for posts. However, otherprocesses that add, combine, and/or omit certain steps of the abovedescribed process may be provided without departing from embodiments ofthis invention.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the transportationservices platform includes an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) modulethat provides a process for provided an estimated time for arrival atone or more points along a route being used by a user. In someembodiments, an ETA process for determining the ETA for one or morepoints on a route may be based upon historical data. An ETA processbased on historical data provided in some embodiments is based upon theidea that the time to arrive at a first point will have an effect on thetime needed to travel to a second point. Furthermore, it is known ifmany trips are included in the historical data, an arrival time at onemore point may be related to more than one arrival time at a secondpoint (separate trips may arrive have the same arrival time at a firstpoint. However, the same two trips may have different arrival times atthe second point due to traffic or other environmental conditions).Furthermore, the process is only looking for an approximation of arrivaltimes. Based upon these facts, the process in accordance withembodiments of the invention groups the arrival time at each point inbins or approximation groups. The groups of arrival times for a firstpoint are then associated or related to each approximation groups of asecond point that is subsequently adjacent (the next stop or point inthe trip). Each approximation group of the first point is related orassociated each approximation group of the second point that includes anarrival time that is dependent on an arrival time in the approximationgroup of the first point (as mention above an arrival time that wasobserved in multiple trips may be related to multiple different arrivaltimes at the second point. As such, an arrival time for the first pointmay be associated with to different arrival times for the second pointthat are in different approximation groups of the second point.).

When a new arrival time is received for the first point, a determinationis made as to the approximation group that would include the new arrivaltime and the approximation groups of the second group that are relatedto the determined approximation group can be used to provide anestimated time of arrival at the second point. To make the estimationeasier, a current approximation time of arrival may be provided for eachgroup. The current approximation of a group may be determined in anynumber of manners, including, but not limited to the mean time of thegroup, the median time of the group, the center point of the group orany other manner in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention. In accordance with some embodiments, the mean arrival timefor the elements in an approximation group is used as the approximationtime to allow for improvement of the approximation time as more data isreceived as will be described below.

The estimated time of arrival at the second point can be determinedusing the approximation groups of the second point that are associatedwith the approximation of the new arrival time including, but notlimited to, selecting a longest estimated time from the associatedapproximation groups, selecting the shortest estimate time from theassociated approximation groups, determining average for theapproximation times of the associated groups, and determining a weightedaverage of the approximation times of the groups.

The approximation time of each approximation group for each pointimproves as data from more trips is used to determine the approximationtime. As such, data mining of trip information may be used to obtainmore data to base the approximation. In accordance with some embodimentsof the invention, a k-cluster algorithm is used to perform the datamining. To improve the results of the k-cluster algorithm, the number,k, of clusters used to mine data for each point is set to the number ofapproximation groups plus an additional group to capture extraneoussamples and the seeds used are the approximation times of eachapproximation group determined from a smaller sample of the data. Usingthe k-clustering algorithm, the approximation time changes as moreelements (trip data) are added to the groups.

A process performed by the transportation services platform thatprovides a process for determining an estimated time of arrival at oneor points along a trip using historical data in accordance with anembodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 14. In process 1400, asample set of historical data of arrival times at points along a routefor a predetermined number of trips are retrieved (1405). The arrivaltimes for each point are then grouped into N approximation groups forthe point where N is determined by the range in variance between theobserved arrival times for the point (1410).

The relations between approximation groups of adjacent points along thetrip are determined (1415). In accordance with some embodiments, thedetermination of a relation between approximation groups is determinedby which groups in each point include arrival times that are obtainedfrom the same trip. In some these embodiments, this may be determined byincluding the arrival times for each point in a vector where the nthposition in each vector indicate the arrival time at the point in thenth trip. In other various other embodiments, columnizing the data orother data structuring methods may be used to indicate the relatednessof arrival times for adjacent points.

An approximation time is then determined for each approximation group ofeach point (1420). In accordance with some embodiments, the mean time ofeach approximation is used as the approximation time. However, othermethods as described above may be used without departing from thisinvention.

The process 1400 then data mines the entire set of data of arrival timesfor the points on a route using a k-clustering algorithm with N+1clusters for each point where N is the number of approximation groupsfor a point and the additional cluster is for noise and each of the Nclusters has an approximation time of one of the N groups of the pointas a seed to determine a current approximation time for each group foreach point (1425). In accordance with some embodiments, the data miningmay be performed continuously. In accordance with some otherembodiments, the data mining is performed periodically to determine thecurrent approximation times.

The process 1400 then receives the arrival time at a current point alonga route from a user (1430). The approximation to which the receivedarrival time belongs is determined based upon the approximation time ofthe groups. In accordance with some embodiments, the determination ismade by determining the absolute value of the difference between thereceived arrival time and the approximation time for each group of thepoint. The group that has the approximation time with the smallestdifference is selected as the group of the received arrival time.

The process 1400 may then determine the approximation groups of thesecond subsequent point related to the determined approximation of thefirst point for the new arrival time (1435). As estimated arrival timeat the second point is then determined using the approximation times ofthe approximation groups related to the approximation point of thereceived arrival time (1440). As discussed above, this estimated arrivaltime can be determined in any number of manners including, but notlimited to, selecting a longest estimated time from the associatedapproximation groups, selecting the shortest estimate time from theassociated approximation groups, determining average for theapproximation times of the associated groups, and determining a weightedaverage of the approximation times of the groups in accordance withvarious embodiments of the invention.

A determination is then made as to whether second point is the last stopof the route (1445). If so, all estimate times for all points arereturned to user device (1450) and process 1400 end. Otherwise, theestimated time is substituted for the new arrival time and the secondpoint becomes the first point and a third subsequent point becomes thesecond point as the estimation process (1430-1455) to determine anestimated arrival time at the subsequent is repeated until the last stopis reached.

Process 1400 is one possible embodiment of a process performed by atransport service platform to estimate arrival time at points along aroute. However, other processes that add, combine, and/or omit certainsteps of the above described process may be provided without departingfrom embodiments of this invention.

Operator/Driver Application

The transport service platform may also interact with a driver/operatorapplication executed by a device on a vehicle of a transportationservice provider. Example of driver/operator devices that may execute adriver operator application in accordance with some embodiments of thisinvention, include, but are not limited, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a tablet, a vehicle infotainment system, and any other processingsystem that may be onboard a transportation service provider vehicle. Inaccordance with some embodiments, the driver operator device includesand/or is connected to devices that provide a GPS system and a cardvalidation system. In accordance with many embodiments, thedriver/operator application provides the following services and possiblyother services to the driver/operator by interacting with the transportservice platform: GPS information, dispatching data input, ticketvalidation, transit card validation, driver profile information, transitcard transactions, stop vehicle indications, crew/driver schedulinginformation, vehicle identification information, human resourcemanagement system (HRMS). A view of a user operator device with anenlarged “screen shot” of a user interface of a driver/operatorapplication in accordance with an embodiments of this invention is shownin FIG. 15.

In FIG. 15, driver/operator device 1505 is a smartphone with connectionsto a GPS device 1510 and a card scanning unit 1515. An enlarged “screenshot” 1525 from display 1520 is shown. The “screen shot” 1525 is of auser interface for a driver/operator application being executed bydevice 1505. The user interface includes buttons or tabs that may betouched to perform the shown functions including a GPS/telemetricsfunction, a dispatching data input function, a ticket validationfunction, a transit card validator function, a driver profileinteraction function, a transit card transaction function, a stop busindicator function, a crew scheduling information function, vehicleidentifier function, and a HRMS function.

Although one specific embodiment of a driver/operator device and userinterface for a driver/operator application is shown in FIG. 15, oneskilled in the art will recognize that other device may be used and theuser interface may provide any number of additional functions withoutdeparting from this invention.

Although the present invention has been described in certain specificaspects, many additional modifications and variations would be apparentto those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that thepresent invention can be practiced otherwise than specifically describedwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.Thus, embodiments of the present invention should be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, the scope ofthe invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated,but by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transportation services platform for providing transportation services to a user via a transportation services application executed on a user device comprising: one or more processing systems communicatively connected; memory readable by each of the one or more processing systems; and instructions stored in the memory that direct the one or more processing systems: receive a request from an application being executed on a user device to provide a route for a trip; retrieve route information for the trip, where the retrieving of route information includes: determining rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route of the trip, where the rules include an event and an action wherein an event is an occurrence that may be detected by data obtained by the application being executed on the user device and an action is a function that the application may perform, adding the rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route to the route information; and provide the route information to the application being executed on the user device.
 2. The transportation services platform of claim 1 wherein the instructions further include instructions for directing the one or more processing system to receive a rule from a third party transportation service system and to store the rule in a rules database.
 3. The transportation services platform of claim 2 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes invoking a third party transportation service application on the user device.
 4. The transportation services platform of claim 2 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes obtaining travel data via the transportation services application being executed by the user device and providing the travel data to the third party transportation service application.
 5. The transportation services platform of claim 2 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes providing travel information to the transportation services application being executed by the user device and displaying the travel information to the user via the transportation services application being executed by the user device.
 6. The transportation services platform of claim 1 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to maintain a user database that associates user profile information of a user with a username.
 7. The transportation services platform of claim 6 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to store and provide comments by a user using the username associated with the user.
 8. The transportation services platform of claim 6 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to perform a request for interactions with a third party transportation service system requested by a user using the username associated with the user.
 9. The transportation services platform of claim 1 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to: receive a request for information from a transit operator system; retrieve data stored by the transportation services platform to satisfy the request for information; and provide the requested information to the transit operator system.
 10. The transportation services platform of claim 1 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to: receive data pertaining to a transportation service from a transit operator system; and store the data in a memory associated with the transportation services platform.
 11. The transportation services platform of claim 1 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to: maintain information including one or more tags in a user profile of a user; receive a posting to the transportation services platform; determine tags associated with the posting; and provide the posting to each user having a user profile with a tag associated with the posting.
 12. The transportation services platform of claim 1 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to: receive an update of user information; determine tags associated with the update; and add the tags to user profile information stored by the platform.
 13. The transportation services platform of claim 12 wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to: predict possible trips for a user based upon stored user information; and update tags in the user profile information of the user based on the predicted possible trips.
 14. A method for providing transportation services over a network using a transportation services platform including one or more processing systems and a memory readable by the one or more processing systems that store instructions for performing the method, the method comprising: receiving a request from an application being executed on a user device to provide a route for a trip; retrieving route information for the trip from information stored by the transportation services platform, where the retrieving of route information includes: determining rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route of the trip, where the rules include an event and an action wherein an event is an occurrence that may be detected by data obtained by the application being executed on the user device and an action is a function that the application may perform, adding the rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route to the route information; and providing the route information to the application being executed on the user device over the network.
 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving a rule from a third party transportation service system and to store the rule in a rules database.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes invoking a third party transportation services application on the user device.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes obtaining travel data via the transportation services application being executed by the user device and providing the travel data to the third party transportation service application.
 18. The method of claim 15 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes providing travel information to the transportation services application being executed by the user device and displaying the travel information to the user via the transportation services application being executed by the user device.
 19. The method of claim 14 further comprising maintaining a user database that associates user profile information of a user with a username.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising storing and providing comments by a user using the username associated with the user.
 21. The method of claim 19 further comprising performing a request for interactions with a third party transportation service system requested by a user using the username associated with the user.
 22. The method of claim 14 further comprising: receiving a request for information from a transit operator system; retrieving data stored by the transportation services platform to satisfy the request for information; and providing the requested information to the transit operator system.
 23. The method of claim 14 further comprising: receiving data pertaining to a transportation service from a transit operator system; and storing the data in a memory associated with the transportation services platform.
 24. The method of claim 14 further comprising: maintaining information including one or more tags in a user profile of a user; receiving a posting to the transportation services platform; determining tags associated with the posting; and providing the posting to each user having a user profile with a tag associated with the posting.
 25. The method of claim 14 further comprising: receiving an update of user information; determining tags associated with the update; and adding the tags to user profile information stored by the platform.
 26. The method of claim 25 further comprising: predicting possible trips for a user based upon stored user information; and updating tags in the user profile information of the user based on the predicted possible trips.
 27. A system for providing transportation services to an application executed on a user device comprising: circuitry configured to receive a request from an application being executed on a user device to provide a route for a trip; circuitry configured to retrieve route information for the trip from information stored by the transportation services platform, where the retrieving of route information includes: circuitry configured to determine rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route of the trip, where the rules include an event and an action wherein an event is an occurrence that may be detected by data obtained by the application being executed on the user device and an action is a function that the application may perform, circuitry configured to add the rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route to the route information; and circuitry configured to provide the route information to the application being executed on the user device over the network.
 28. The system of claim 27 further comprising circuitry configured to receive a rule from a third party transportation service system and circuitry configured to store the rule in a rules database.
 29. The system of claim 28 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes invoking a third party transportation services application on the user device.
 30. The system of claim 28 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes obtaining travel data via the transportation services application being executed by the user device and providing the travel data to the third party transportation service application.
 31. The system of claim 28 wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes providing travel information to the transportation services application being executed by the user device and displaying the travel information to the user via the transportation services application being executed by the user device.
 32. The system of claim 27 further comprising circuitry configured to maintain a user database that associates user profile information of a user with a username.
 33. The system of claim 32 further comprising circuitry configured to store and provide comments by a user using the username associated with the user.
 34. The system of claim 32 further comprising circuitry configured to perform a request for interactions with a third party transportation service system requested by a user using the username associated with the user.
 35. The system of claim 27 further comprising: circuitry configured to receive a request for information from a transit operator system; circuitry configured to retrieve data stored by the transportation services platform to satisfy the request for information; and circuitry configured to provide the requested information to the transit operator system.
 36. The system of claim 27 further comprising: circuitry configured to receive data pertaining to a transportation service from a transit operator system; and circuitry configured to store the data in a memory associated with the transportation services platform.
 37. The system of claim 27 further comprising: circuitry configured to maintain information including one or more tags in a user profile of a user; circuitry configured to receive a posting to the transportation services platform; circuitry configured to determine tags associated with the posting; and circuitry configured to provide the posting to each user having a user profile with a tag associated with the posting.
 38. The system of claim 27 further comprising: circuitry configured to receive an update of user information; circuitry configured to determine tags associated with the update; and circuitry configured to add the tags to user profile information stored by the platform.
 39. The system of claim 38 further comprising: circuitry configured to predict possible trips for a user based upon stored user information; and circuitry configured to update tags in the user profile information of the user based on the predicted possible trips. 